Nolan McLean unravels in second straight start as Mets’ issues reappear in loss to Reds

Nypost · May 25, 2026 · 815 words · By Andrew Crane

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What to know about Athletic Performance

Nolan McLean unravels in second straight start as Mets’ issues reappear in loss to Reds See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Nolan McLean unravels in second straight start as Mets’ issues reappear in loss to Reds See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleOut of all the potential issues the Mets could face, this wasn’t supposed to be one of them.

Common ground

Their ace who could stabilize, solve everything and stop losing streaks single-handedly during his starts.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Athletic Performance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that McLean... lasting just 3 ¹/₃ innings in his shortest outing with the Mets, surrendering seven runs on five hits, walking two and hitting two more batters in the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Reds at Citi Field?
How does this story connect Athletic Performance with Team Crisis over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/25/sports/nolan-mclean-unravels-in-second-straight-st…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “McLean... lasting just 3 ¹/₃ innings in his shortest outing with the Mets, surrendering seven runs on five hits, walking two and hitting two more batters in the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Reds at Citi Field.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Nolan McLean lasted 3.1 innings and allowed 7 runs in a 7-2 loss to the Reds. One source specifically mentions the 7 earned runs and the 3.1 innings duration.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 New York Mets season is the 65th season of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball, their 18th at Citi Field, and their sixth under majority owner Steve Cohen. The Mets will attempt to imp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_New_York_Mets_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Mets

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 New York Mets season was the 64th season of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball, their 17th at Citi Field, their fifth under majority owner Steve Cohen, and their second under manager …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_Mets_season

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 2: “Carson Benge added an RBI groundout the following frame to score Brett Baty.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Marcus Semien homered in the sixth as part of a two-hit day”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 4: “McLean has allowed 16 runs, with 13 earned, across his last nine innings, walking four batters and hitting four others.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “McLean struck out the side in the first inning”

CORROBORATED

The claim is explicitly confirmed by a report stating 'McLean struck out the side in the first inning'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Christopher Edward Nolan was born on 30 July 1970 in Westminster, London. [1][2] His father, Brendan James Nolan (1936 [3] –2009), [4] was a British advertising executive of Irish descent [5] who work…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Christopher Nolan. Producer: Tenet. Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, En…
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0634240/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Christopher Nolan is a British film director and writer acclaimed for his noirish visual aesthetic and unconventional, often highly conceptual narratives. His notable films include Mement…
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Nolan-Briti…

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Claim 6: “Steer connected on a two-run single the following frame and Tyler Stephenson launched a two-run homer”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “hitting Reds third baseman Sal Stewart”

CORROBORATED

Two separate reports confirm that McLean hit Reds third baseman Sal Stewart with a pitch.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · McLean struck out the side in the first inning, but he quickly unraveled after hitting Reds third baseman Sal Stewart. He eventually loaded the ...
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nolan-mclean-unravels-seco…

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · McLean was ahead in the count, 0-2. Suddenly, Stewart was on first base after being hit by a pitch. The Reds ended up scoring two runs in the ...
https://www.mlb.com/news/nolan-mclean-allows-seven-runs-in-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Cincinnati Reds 7 Mets 2 The Reds (28-25) hammered Mets starter Nolan McLean for a career-high seven runs in 3.1 innings.
https://www.facebook.com/LanceMcAlisterSportsTalk/posts/cinc…

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Claim 8: “Sean Manaea and David Peterson have already been demoted at different points”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 9: “The 24-year-old mostly breezed through opponents last season and at the start of 2026, too”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Nolan McLean was born July 24, 2001, making him 24 years old in 2025/2026. Web results confirm he had a 2026 season debut.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nolan James McLean (born July 24, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_McLean

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 29, 2026 · The final line for Nolan McLean in his 2026 season debut ... For a guy to not have his best stuff and still grind through 5 innings in his first ...
https://www.facebook.com/SNY/posts/the-final-line-for-nolan-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 5/26 Mets righty Nolan McLean hadn't given up more than three earned runs in any start through nine outings. He's now allowed 13 earned runs over his last ...Missing: well | Show results with:well
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcleano01.shtml

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Claim 10: “Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga are already injured.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “Cincinnati scored its first two runs when Spencer Steer grounded into a fielder’s choice and McLean threw a wild pitch.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific sequence of a fielder's choice by Spencer Steer and a wild pitch.

verified

Claim 12: “The usual issues appeared again for the Mets (22-32).”

VERIFIED

A cross-reference from Nypost explicitly states the Mets' record as (22-32) across the first two months of the season.

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+ 4 more evidence sources

help

Claim 13: “JJ Bleday crushed a homer over the right-center field fence in the third”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm a home run by JJ Bleday in the third inning.

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Claim 14: “and now have their second four-game losing skid of the season.”

CORROBORATED

One source explicitly mentions the Reds extending the 'Mets' skid to 4', and the context of the game being a loss confirms the current streak.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 15: “They couldn’t manage to score more than two runs for the fifth consecutive game”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the game result is confirmed, there is no evidence in the provided search results regarding the Mets' scoring patterns over the previous four games.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 16: “Reds starter Nick Lodolo, who entered with a 7.20 ERA”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (MLB.com and others) explicitly state Nick Lodolo entered the game with a 7.20 ERA.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nicholas Frank Lodolo ( loh-DOH-loh; born February 5, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Lodolo

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division. They …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Reds

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds and short biographies on some of the top prospects in the organization:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Reds_minor_league_p…

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 17: “lineup missing Juan Soto (illness) for a second consecutive day”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.